A Message from AAMI’s President and CEO

We’ve planned educational sessions, keynote addresses, demonstrations, a thought-provoking Expo, and roundtable discussions to give you the latest updates on what’s happening in healthcare technology, and provide you with potential solutions, pragmatic tips and tools that can help you in your careers and on the job.

We also have a number of social events planned because this gathering is also about making professional connections, enjoying a laugh with colleagues, and celebrating your considerable talents.

I suspect many of you and I will share one important purpose during our time in Austin: learning. Each of you has unique lessons you’re after and I’m after one, too. In particular I want to hear from you about the challenges and opportunities you face, and what you believe AAMI should do to help. I’ve set aside several hours of open time to do just this, so if you’d like to talk please come to a “Meet Rob” session. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As a condensed introduction, I came to AAMI from the MITRE Corporation where I established a center to transform healthcare supporting the federal government. Much of our focus was on applying systems thinking to the health system and advancing related technologies. My career also includes time as a Marine Corps officer. Teamwork and service mean a lot to me, and I hope you can see those ideals actively play out over the next few days as the AAMI team works hard to support you.

I’m here in Austin to learn with and from you, but I’ve managed to learn several things over the past few months. A few of these really stand out:

Healthcare technology management professionals are an incredibly impressive and valuable group in modern medicine. Your work has a direct impact on the well-being of patients, in and out of hospitals. To say you are unsung heroes is not hyperbole. I could not be more thankful you are taking care of all of us in the patient environments.

Our world is changing fast, especially in healthcare technology, and we need to do even more to keep up. There are also incredible opportunities for HTM professionals to be thought partners and leaders in their organizations. One area that I am especially excited about is harnessing the power of data to improve our use of healthcare technology and enhance patient outcomes. You’ll hear one example of this during the opening general session, but the possibilities are innumerable and you might be the best one in your environment to articulate one or more of them.

Medical device cybersecurity remains a critical and growing concern for our whole health ecosystem. Ransomware recently penetrated devices in U.S. hospitals for the first time. This should be a clarion call for all of us working to reduce this risk.

The standards AAMI tackles must address the most critical and compelling needs of medicine to stay in front of the speed of device development.

In closing, I wanted to let you know that we’re working on a new strategic plan for AAMI. It’s all about looking to the future. We want to make sure that AAMI is focusing its resources and energies on high-impact initiatives that will support your work, advance healthcare technology, and bolster patient safety.

We’re thinking through a number of ideas, including an expanded educational program and new opportunities in standards development. Your feedback over the next few days will be invaluable in helping us set the right path for AAMI. So, please don’t be shy. Introduce yourself, and let me know what’s on your mind.

Thank you for making AAMI a part of your professional lives and for your service on the frontline of modern healthcare.

All the best,

Rob

You Don’t Want to Miss

Our general sessions on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Dr. Randall Moorman will talk about the use of big data at the bedside, Kevin Fu will address the hot topic of medical device cybersecurity, and George Mills will provide an update from The Joint Commission.

Dr. Moorman’s demonstration of real-time predictive analytics monitoring of patients. He’ll be on the Expo floor Saturday at 3 p.m. local time in the Interoperability Experience area.

The Expo. Two hundred of the world’s leading medical device manufacturers and service providers will be showcasing state-of-the-art technologies and skills.